Stopping voter purging in Michigan
September 18, 2008
What’s up fam, the debacle in the form of purging that took place in the 2000 Florida election appears to be a standing pattern for the GOP running from Florida to Ohio to now Michigan. But we don’t play here in the great state. Below is a press release regarding a federal lawsuit filed by the Advancement Project, United States Student Assocation (USSA) and the ACLU of Michigan, and the law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP.
Advancement Project, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Michigan and the law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP filed a federal lawsuit challenging two statewide voter purge programs that could potentially disfranchise hundreds of thousands of Michigan voters in advance of the November 2008 presidential election. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Detroit against Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, Michigan Bureau of Elections Director Christopher M. Thomas and Ypsilanti Clerk Frances McMullen.
Mass transit in Detroit and where you been BQW?
April 21, 2008
What’s up fam, I know folks are like dang, what happened to the Spade? By way of updates, Steve is a newlywed so he deserves time to enjoy his wife and Garlin is probably busy creating a new business venture. I for one am up to my neck in the Michigan Policy Summit and if you are in Michigan, you will definitely want to be a part of this annual gathering of progressives. Two dynamic keynotes in Amy Goodman and Jim Hightower along with policy focused discussions on health care, education, and environment and did I mention skills workshops for individuals and organizations ranging from social entrepreneurship to fundraising? Come out and show love May 10th and register now at www.mipolicysummit.org.
Below is an article I pulled from Crain’s in Detroit. If Detroit can turn the corner on transit, we will be on a good path. Enjoy the article and please pray for me. Stay up fam,
Mass-transit groups to meet
By Bill Shea Organizers of a $371 million project to build a light-rail line along Woodward Avenue from downtown Detroit to the State Fairgrounds were to begin meeting Monday with the backers of a privately funded plan with similar goals.
Michigan to do primary…again
March 15, 2008
It appears that Michigan is prepared to do another Michigan primary set for June 3rd, pending approval by the Michigan State Legislature and the Obama campaign. This is great news for me because I am planning the Michigan Policy Summit on May 10th and if this contest is not settled by then, this Summit could end up playing a critical role in determining the Democratic nominee.
I suppose the conventional wisdom is that Obama is poised to snag the nomination but like most things in life; I will believe it when I see it in writing. Having said that, I will be writing about the Michigan Policy Summit much more frequently but the potential of being in a position of nominee-maker is very exciting and daunting.
This confirms my belief that the most potent power in America’s republic is local power. Early on, I flirted with the idea of working for the Obama campaign full time. At the time, I would have had to work in a different state.
Transit coming to Detroit
March 6, 2008
Southeast Michigan is poised for a huge turn around as it pertains to mass transit. This week, the Detroit Department of Transportation announced that Woodward Avenue (downtown to 8 mile) would be the locally preferred alternative (LPA) as to where some form of light rail would be constructed. The announcement is just one of a series of steps Detroit is involved in as part of a formal application to the feds to help pay for some form of rapid transit. The application is being conducted through the Detroit Transit Options for Growth Study with help from URS. For more information on this, please click here.
Superspade gives keynote address at DAPCEP!
February 8, 2008
What’s up fam,
I am writing to let you know that Garlin will be giving a keynote address in Detroit, MI for DAPCEP. DAPCEP is acronym for the Detroit Area Pre College Engineering Program. For those that are not from Detroit, this is a really big deal because parents from all over Metro Detroit clamor over themselves trying to get their kids involved in this program. I know parents and students alike wil be inspired to see a DAPCEP Alumni who is young and doing it big for himself and the community.
DAPCEP is a great program and I highly recommend it. Just look at their mission,
DAPCEP’s mission is to increase the number of historically under-represented minorities (African American, Hispanic American, and Native American) who are motivated and prepared academically to pursue careers in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology related fields.
If you are in Detroit and would like to get your kids involved in DAPCEP and/or hear Garlin bring the house down, find yourself at Cobo Hall tomorrow morning at 7:30am, the program starts at 8:00am. Per usual, Garlin will provide an audio file of his presentation upon his return to Seattle.
Stay up G,
For more information on DAPCEP, click here, www.dapcep.org
Gentrification of Detroit: Will Shiny New Projects Push Out the Old Residents?
December 31, 2007
Cross-posted at the Michigan Messenger
When Woodbridge Estates redeveloped the decaying Jeffries Projects site just west of Wayne State University in Detroit, they renovated one of the old towers that are visible from the Lodge Freeway and outfitted the tower with a giant clock. The clock is a tangible symbol that it’s a new time in Detroit.
Yet some fear such gentrification of the city will in time become a social problem of its own, pushing out current residents in favor of suburbanites with more money. Read more
Part I: Gentrification in Detroit? Experts disagree
December 8, 2007
Cross-posted at the Michigan Messenger:
With Compuware, Quicken Loans and other businesses setting up in
Detroit’s urban garden
November 28, 2007
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Cross posted at the Michigan Messenger With its shortage of big-box grocery stores and the lack of enough fresh produce, much of Detroit could be said to be in a food desert. An urban agricultural movement is emerging as a solution to the problem. |
Detroit welcomes revised census data
November 9, 2007
Cross posted at the Michigan Messenger,
It was reported today that the US Census revised
John Talmage, President and CEO of Social Compact said of the revised estimate, “The city did a terrific job challenging the census and we were happy to be a part of that process. Not only was Mayor Kilpatrick correct in his intuition that the city had stronger market potential, we feel good about our ability to identify where that potential is.” This official data will help the city’s ability to acquire federal funds for services that are based on population. Leaders of
(My username is bqw, instead of Brandon Q. but it’s the same guy)
Census Undercount in Detroit? Opinions differ
November 5, 2007
Cross-posted by Brandon at the Michigan Messenger.
Is Detroit doing better than the U.S. Census indicates? A study, funded with money the city helped raise, says household income and total population are higher than the census reported, but a critic doubts the accuracy of the study.
On October 1st, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick announced the findings of the “Detroit Neighborhood Drilldown” study conducted by Social Compact. Among other highlights, the study reported that Detroit has an average household income that is 17% higher than the Census 2000 estimate and estimates the current population to be 933,043, nearly 62,000 above the 2006 Census estimates. While this is good news, there is some speculation that the report is perhaps too good to be true.
According to their website, “Social Compact is a coalition of business leaders from across the country who are promoting successful business investment in lower-income communities for the benefit of current residents.” Their signature market analysis tool is the Neighborhood Market DrillDown that provides business-oriented data that reveal the hidden strengths of traditionally undervalued communities.
I spoke to John Talmage, President and CEO of Social Compact whose expertise in local government and quantitative research stems from his serving as Deputy Director for Economic Development for the City of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and before that spending 12 years working in New York City government.
Talmage explained that through the Neighborhood Market DrillDown,
We are able to take between 30-50 data bases, both private and public, (commonly understood as data mining) and able to pick up things that are missed, so by the time you look at utility hook ups, DMV records, building permits, credit bureau reports, you are able to find things that are usually missed by traditional market analysis.
The positive news provided by the Detroit DrillDown report is designed to give potential investors and/or retailers a different way to evaluate the market. The DrillDown report will help the Kilpatrick administration rebuff negative statistics and stereotypes regarding business opportunities within Detroit. But according to Reynolds Farley, Dudley Duncan Professor and Research Scientist Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, “I spent a number of years working at the Census Bureau. I tend to trust the Census Bureau’s population estimates and I am skeptical of most other population estimates, especially those by people who have a strong interest in larger populations.”
The DrillDown study estimated Detroit’s current population to be 933,043, nearly 62,000 above the 2006 Census estimates. According to Professor Farley, this seven percent difference is a stretch because “You might be able to defend a reasonable argument that Detroit’s population is as much as three percent greater than the Census Bureau’s estimate because it does not compensate for net census undercount.”
Moreover, the issue of business interests is poignant for Social Compact, as a large majority of their board members and partners are banks. Talmage explained that “The reason you see so many banks is because at the end of the day, we want to take the community aspirations for what they want for commercial development and we need to find capital to invest in those aspirations.” Talmage added that “We make sure we are connected to the communities themselves. In Detroit we work with the One Detroit Initiative, City Connect, and others. We are much more connected to the community in Detroit than we might ordinarily be.”
During the initial DrillDown, Social Compact partnered with the Brookings Institution and the University of Michigan at the behest of the Downtown Detroit Partnership, which then led to a partnership with George Jackson, CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation. Social Compact is committed to working in Detroit for three years and conduct another DrillDown study to provide two points of data to measure their success. Talmage plans to “build a predictive model in Detroit that shows where growth is heading in the next five or ten years.”
I asked Talmage how much their services are costing the taxpayers of the City and he said, “The city doesn’t pay anything but they helped raise the funds that support their work.” In fact, on October 2nd, officials of Bank of America were in Detroit to donate $1 million to the five year neighborhood revitalization strategy. Talmage continued, “The Detroit Community Foundation, Kresge Foundation and several local banks help support our work but if the city has money, we want that money to help improve the investment climate.”
Though the city does not pay any money for Social Compact’s services, their “fee” can best be understood as access. I asked Talmage how he quantifies success and access for Social Compact is an integral piece. Talmage explained, “That is we have to stay involved in the city because I want to be in the room when the negotiations are happening with national retailers because 1) the city shouldn’t have to justify my methodology, I should be doing that and 2) I have my own independent relationships with national retailers and banks through my board, so I can bring the investments to the table as well.”
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